Charges Filed Against Indiana Man for Murder in Grover Beach

Author: District Attorney's Office
Date:
11/7/2018 12:22:58 PM

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On Tuesday, November 06, 2018, the District Attorney’s Office filed murder charges against Levente Laszlo Lazar (DOB05/07/1992) for the stabbing murder of his mother, Athena Valentiny (64), at her residence in Grover Beach on or about October 24, 2018. Mr. Lazar was arrested in Indiana and booked in the Monroe County (Indiana) Correctional Center pending extradition to California.

Today, District Attorney Dan Dow announced the filing of charges against Levente Laszlo Lazar (DOB 05/07/1992), for the premeditated stabbing murder of his mother, Athena Valentiny (64), at her residence in Grover Beach on or about October 24, 2018.

Grover Beach Police Department, with the assistance of the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Bureau of Investigation, has investigated the suspicious death of Grover Beach resident Athena Valentiny since her body was discovered with stab wounds during a welfare check on Thursday, October 25, 2018.

The investigation led detectives to identify the victim’s son, Levente Laszlo Lazar, of Bloomington, Indiana as the primary suspect. Investigators travelled to Indiana to interview Lazar and execute search warrants at his residence. On Tuesday November 6, after questioning Lazar, Investigators arrested him on a single charge of murder and executed several search warrants. Mr. Lazar remains in custody in Indiana and is pending extradition to California so that he can be arraigned on the charges in the San Luis Obispo County Superior Court.

The investigation is ongoing. No additional information can be released at this time. Anyone with information that could be helpful in this investigation is encouraged to contact Grover Beach Police Department at (805) 473-4511.

It is important to note that a criminal complaint contains charges that must be proven in a court of law. Every defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

A copy of the complaint is attached to the electronic version of this release at Lazar Murder Complaint. A copy of the defendants booking photo can be found here.

Please contact Assistant District Attorney Eric J. Dobroth at 805.781.5819 with any questions.